Saturday, June 13, 2009

enjoying the herbs of our labor

About 8 weeks ago, as part of a desperate bid to entertain my daughter for a little while, I bought seeds and pots to start our garden. I have not done much gardening before, and don't have a lot of room in our yard, but we started anyway. I've tried tomatoes in the past that grew gorgeous green tomatoes that never ripened, so I'm a little fatalistic.

M enjoyed seeing how the seeds all looked different, and even watered the cilantro (M loves guacamole) basil and cherry tomatoes once they sprouted. (I was amazed that the cats did not destroy them all.) I kept them on or near the radiator, and covered until they sprouted. I had to thin out the crop, but we have now successfully planted the basil and cilantro in a container. The cherry tomatoes are set up against the garage wall. We had to buy a dill plant, which doesn't take well to being transplanted apparently. All are thriving.

Peer pressure and herbs

The other day, M had 4 neighborhood girls over aged 3-7. They all crowded around the herbs, curious to taste the various plants- declaring some "yummy," and others "too spicy!" It was a lovely scene. Shows how peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing as even the notoriously picky one lined up for a sample.

Aside from peer pressure, studies also suggest that kids involved in growing food are more likely to eat those foods.

save money

We've used the dill several times, and the basil and cilantro for M's favorite turkey curry dish. I think we'll save at least $30 on fresh herbs over the summer, and we'll use them more often.

If I can do it, you can do it! Give it a try this year, or start next Spring if you're overwhelmed right now. I'll keep you posted on the tomatoes. By the way, all the sunflowers we planted were mowed down by rabbits (we think) within hours of being outside. Not sure I'm ready for scarecrows and netting! We'll take it slow.

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Katja Rowell MD

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Helping raise children with a healthy relationship to food and their bodies. Katja is a member of the clinical faculty with the Ellyn Satter Institute. She works with families struggling with feeding to bring peace and joy back to the family table.